Students place 2nd at international business competition

Three Grand Valley students competed against 24 teams from five continents to take second place at the Global Family Enterprise Case Competition January 14-16 at the University of Vermont.

Josue´ Rigueiro, a management major; Sydney Ecker, an accounting major; and Melissa Atkins, a double major in supply chain and management information systems, competed against teams from India, Colombia, the Netherlands, China, Spain, Mexico and France, to name a few.

The students spent several hours a week for nearly three months practicing case analysis. The family business cases given to the competitors are taken from real situations. In a 20-minute presentation and 10-minute question-and-answer session with judges, students must solve a business case in a practical way that would be acceptable to the family who owns the business. 

"We faced very strong competitors and strong schools, but we felt prepared from all the time we spent practicing," said Rigueiro. "Our goal was to make it to the finals, which would be a first for Grand Valley. We were thrilled to not only pass our goal, but win second place."

During the final round of competition, Atkins was given the Best Presenter award.

"My biggest hurdle was dealing with my nerves while presenting, but we did some crazy warm-ups which was very effective at killing any nervousness," said Atkins. "It was an honor to compete on a global stage and consult with people from all over the world about a common academic interest."

Ecker said: "Working through the case studies opened my eyes to the fact that there are people behind the financial numbers and the decisions that businesses make every day. Competing gave me a stronger sense of empathy and a better understanding of how to balance ethics, best practices and a family’s values and feelings." 

 Seidman College of Business faculty coaches for the competition included Joseph Horak, Tim Syfert and Rita Grant. 

"Our students came close to winning it all, but more importantly they showed what real teamwork and grace under fire looks like," said Horak, director of the Family Owned Business Institute. "They trusted each other’s expertise and came up with an amazing presentation."